Chicago Welcomes the 2012 NATO Summit

In May 2012, the City of Chicago will serve as the host for a summit which will be among the most important diplomatic forums of the year. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit will be held from May 20th to 21st. In joining the ranks of other world-class cities that have hosted this event—Paris, Rome, and Brussels, to name a few—Chicago will mark several milestones:

The first city in the United States outside of Washington, D.C. to host a NATO summit.

The largest city to host a NATO summit in nearly a decade.

In all, several thousand dignitaries, along with an international press corps of thousands, will gather in Chicago. Attendees will include Heads of State and Government, cabinet ministers, other high-ranking government officials, and NATO’s Secretary General. In addition to the official meetings, the summit will bring a number of related events and conferences.

While the summit itself will be closed to the public, the Chicago NATO Host Committee is working with various city groups on a variety of programs to inform our community about this historic event. For more information on programs that will be open to the public, see our events calendar.

Learn about the heads of state expected to be in Chicago for the summit.

President Barack Obama speaks with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, center, and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan at the Chicago summit.

Mayor Emanuel and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen met Saturday before the Chicago summit.